| Soils & Crops Conference - March 17 & 18, 2026 - Prairieland Park, Hall A - Saskatoon, SK | ||
| Day 1 - Research Update | ||
| Time | ||
| 8:20 am | Welcome & Opening Remarks - Abimfoluwa Gideon Olaleye, 2026 Chair | |
| Room 1 | Room 2 | |
| Insect Management (1.5 CM CEU) | Nutrient Management I (1.5 NM CEU) | |
| Session Chairs: Tyler Wist/Jennifer Bogdan | Session Chairs: Maryse Bourgault/Jessica Ens | |
| 8:30-8:45am | Tyce Masich Provincial Pest Update from 2025 and Considerations for 2026 |
Edgar Hammermeister Fall 2025 Soil Nutrient Supply Summary: A Provincial and Regional Breakdown |
| 8:45-9:00am | Teresa Aguiar-Cordero IPPM Now: A Digital Tool for Insect Identification and Management |
Mackenzie Evans Nitrogen Mineralization by Extracellular Microbial Enzymes in the Canola Rhizosphere is Affected by Canola Line and Nitrogen Fertilization |
| 9:00-9:15am | Simin Sabaghian Aster Leafhopper Feeding Dynamics on virus-Infected Canola Plants |
Silvia Silva Differences in root traits influence the amount of root-derived carbon in soil across five canola lines under two nitrogen fertilizer rates. |
| 9:15-9:30am | Zachary Burgess-Akitt Alfalfa Weevil Resistance to Synthetic Pyrethroids on the Canadian Prairies |
Curtis de Gooijer Deep Phosphorus Trial - 3rd Year Update! |
| 9:30-9:45am | Leonardo Vieira Santos When Control Backfires: Insecticides May Affect Predators of the Alfalfa Weevil |
Mohammad Khakbazan Economic response of dry bean to nitrogen rate |
| 9:45-10:00am | Teresa Aguiar-Cordero Predators vs. Pests: Evaluating Natural Control of Lygus in Lentils |
Lyle Cowell The Les Henry Potash Files |
| 10:00 - 10:30 am | Networking & Refreshment Break - Photo Contest Viewing/Voting | |
| Disease Management (1.5 IPM CEU) | Nutrient Management II (1.0 NM, 0.5 SW CEU) |
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| Session Chairs: Tyler Wist/Jennifer Bogdan | Session Chairs: Maryse Bourgault/Jessica Ens | |
| 10:30 - 10:45am | Kara Glor Safeguarding Wheat Yields: Genetic Analysis of Adult Plant Resistance to Stripe Rust of Wheat. |
Blake Weiseth Research applications of assessing soil nutrient supply over 30 years with Plant Root Simulator (PRS) Probes" |
| 10:45 - 11:00 am | Taylor de Jong Characterization of the Lentil Diversity Panel for Resistance to Fusarium Root Rot |
Mason Plews Influence of Sod Seeded Legumes on Greenhouse Gas Flux and Soil Nutrient Supply |
| 11:00 - 11:15 am | Stephen O. Awodele Integrating Transcriptomics and Machine Learning to Uncover the Molecular Genetics of High and Moderate levels of Fusarium Root Rot Resistance in Pea |
Emal Sobat Variable Rate Application of Enhanced Efficiency Nitrogen Fertilizers and Soil Moisture on Wheat and Canola in the Canadian Prairies |
| 11:15 - 11:30 am | Piumi Gallage Copper and Phosphorus Fertilization for Root Rot Suppression in Field Pea |
Tram Thai Alfalfa vs. cicer milkvetch and sainfoin-grass mixtures: a deeper look at microbial utilization of root-derived C |
| 11:30 - 11:45 am | Makenna Mitchell Investigating Genetic Control of Resistance to Pasmo Disease in Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) |
Emily Anweiler N2O response to advanced fertilizer treatment strategies for five specialty oilseed crops in Saskatchewan |
| 11:45 - 12:00 pm | Kappeeran Venkatesan Implications of Climate Change Induced Temperature Variation on Phytophthora infestans |
Daphnee Ferland Saskatchewan canola-wheat cropping systems under 4R nitrogen management: a GHG sink or a source? |
| 12:00-12:45pm | ||
| 12:45-1:45pm | ||
| Crop Management (1.5 CM CEU | Nutrient Management III (1.0 NM, 0.5 SW CEU) |
|
| Session Chairs: Kara Glor/Tyce Masich | Session Chairs: Lyle Cowell/Nathan Trowell | |
| 1:45 - 2:00 pm | Travel Student Award Winner TBD |
Brandon Singh QTL Analysis of Cadmium Accumulation in Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) |
| 2:00 - 2:15 pm | Daniela Mariana Moraes Investigating the Influence of the Black Glume Trait on Dry Down in Wheat |
Marika Dewar-Norosky Estimating Biological Nitrogen: Turning Research into a Practical Nutrient Budgeting Tool |
| 2:15 - 2:30 pm | Kalhari Manawasinghe Effects of Canopy Architecture on Drought and Heat Stress Resilience in Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) |
Tesfayesus Yirdaw Evaluating of Variable Applied Nitrogen Under Field-Scale Heterogeneity in Saskatchewan Cropping Systems |
| 2:30 - 2:45 pm | Radwa Asar Improving Canadian Cereal Grains, Detecting and Quantifying Toxic Deoxynivalenol Derivatives |
Walker Maess Identification of Factors Influencing Spatial Variability of Yield |
| 2:45 - 3:00 pm | Krishan Shah Lessons learned from screening of increased saflufenacil herbicide tolerance in a panel of elite Lens culinaris L. germplasm developed by the breeding program at the University of Saskatchewan. |
Gbenga Daniel Adejumo Spiking improves SOC and TN Model Performance by Shifting the Heterogeneity of Training-Set Toward that of Testing Set. |
| 3:00 - 3:15 pm | Andrew Enns Farmer managed natural regeneration in Kenya: Connections to practices of the past and present in Western Canada |
Tori Maxwell Rapid Soil Physical and Chemical Property Determinations Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy |
| 3:15 - 3:45 pm | Afternoon Refreshments and Networking | |
| Soil Properties (1.0 SW CEU) | Nutrient Management IV (1.0 NM CEU) |
|
| Session Chairs: Jessica Ens/Kara Glor | Session Chairs: Lyle Cowell/Nathan Trowell | |
| 3:45 - 4:00 pm | Grace Gowera Improving Salinization Risk Assessment Using Remote Sensing Derived Predictors |
Thilini Weerasooriya Mudiyanselage Nitrogen supply and transfer dynamics from lentil to wheat: does genotype matter? Insight from linking soil nitrogen pools to crop metrics and 15N tracing. |
| 4:00 - 4:15 pm | Thuan Ha Deep Spectral Embeddings and Machine Learning for Predicting Soil Properties From Pedon Observations Across Canadian Agroecosystems |
Luke Dojack An Aerial View of Nitrogen Uptake and Deposition in Lentils |
| 4:15 - 4:30 pm | Philip Abiolu Ratio of acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenic pathways to PHC degradation under P deficits or surplus. |
Yu Jia Benefits of Pulse Crops on Subsequent Crop Yields Are Determined by Precipitation and Soil Type |
| 4:30 - 4:45 pm | Jeff Schoenau Impact of Straw Removal on Soil Properties and Crop Yield at Two Different Landscape Positions in a Southern Saskatchewan Farm Field |
Nemat Dindarloo Aboveground Crop Residue Contributions to Nitrogen Supply in Saskatchewan Wheat Production |
| 4:45 - 5:45 pm | Social and Networking - Join us for appetizers and drinks! | |
| Day 2 - Agronomy Update | |
| Resistance on the Prairies: Innovations in Pest Management | |
| Time | |
| 8:30-8:40 am | Abimfoluwa Gideon Olaleye (2026 Chair) |
| Opening Remarks | |
| Morning Session Chair: Abimfoluwa Gideon Olaleye | |
| 8:40-9:15 | Dr. Breanne Tidemann, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe, AB |
| Title: TBA (Specialization: Harvest weed seed control) | |
| 9:15-9:50 am | Dr. Shaun Sharpe Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, SK |
| Title: TBA (Specialization: Weed Research) | |
| 9:50-10:10 am | Fireside questions and discussion |
| 10:10-10:30 am | REFRESHMENT BREAK |
| 10:30-11:05am | Dr. Swati Mishra Trillium Ag, Seattle WA |
| Title: TBA (Specialization: RNAi for insects) | |
| 11:05-11:40am | Dr. Sean Prager Associate Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK |
| Title: TBA (Specialization: Insect pest research) | |
| 11:40-12:00pm | Fireside questions and discussion |
| 12:00-1:15pm | LUNCH & GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD PRESENTATIONS |
| Afternoon Session Chair: Dr. Maryse Bourgault (2027 Chair) | |
| 1:15-1:50pm | Dr. Valentyna Klymiuk Assistant Professor, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (SaskWheat) Applied Genomics and Pre-breeding Chair; Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan |
| Title: TBA (Specialization: breeding genetics) | |
| 1:50-2:25 | Dr. Steve Robinson Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, SK |
| Title: TBA (Specialization: RNAi for fungicides) | |
| 2:25-2:45pm | Fireside questions and discussion |
| 2:45-2:55pm | Dr. Maryse Bourgault (2027 Chair) |
| Closing Remarks | |
Soil health and organic matter fractions across a spectrum of perenniality in Saskatchewan and Manitoba's Black soil zone
K. Acton, J. Thiessen Martens, M. Arcand
Improving Canadian Cereal Grains, Detecting and Quantifying Toxic Deoxynivalenol Derivatives
R. Asar, M.A. Oviedo-Ludena, L. Wang, R. Kutcher and A. El-Aneed
Evaluation of the soil drivers of cropland marginality in the Canadian Prairies
B. Barrett, C. Chizen & M. Arcand
Wetland classification and hydric soil characteristics in Saskatchewan's agricultural regions
B. Claeys, C. Chizen
NoduLens: A Computer-Vision Pipeline for Nodule Detection in Lentils
L. Dojack, T-L. Liu, A. Vargas, K. Bett, S. Shirtliffe & I. Staveness
Seasonal Nutrient Uptake and Partitioning in Chickpea Cultivars in Saskatchewan
Piumi Gallage, J. Schoenau and B. Tar'an
Spring Camelina as an Alternative Crop Option in North Central Saskatchewan
J. Grismer, A. Tholakson & R. Lokken
Addition of Calcium-Containing Amendments to Soil: Effect on Crop Yield and Soil Properties
R. Hangs & J. Schoenau
Effect of Stubble Height on Soil Temperature, Moisture, and Crop Yield
R. Hangs, W. Helgason & J. Schoenau
Soil Amendment with Spent Canola Filtration Earth: Effect on Soil Properties and Crop Yield
R. Hangs & J. Schoenau
ICSS: Integrative Cropping Systems Study
M. Haugrud & M. Bourgault
Update on the Saskatchewan Soil Information System (SKSIS)
J. Kiss, A. Bedard-Haughn, T. Jamsrandorj, P. Sorenson & P. Krug
Integrating carbon capture from composting organic waste for use in controlled environment agriculture and greenhouse systems.
N. Krishnamoorthy, G. Price
Introducing using the 15N tracing technique to determine the nitrogen recovery efficiency of diverse N stewardship scenarios in representative regional Canadian cropping systems
E. Lischynski. P. Fehr, O. OItchere, W. Appels, M. Tenuta, D. Pelster, C. Wagner-Riddle, K. Congreves
Investigating the Influence of the Black Glume Trait on Dry Down in Wheat
D. Mariana Moraes, A. Carter & P. Hucl
The influence of grazing systems, topography and soil zones on ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea in Saskatchewan
Greta Mader Stevens, B. Helgason J. Reimer A. Liu
Investigating the Correlation between Soil Colour and Carbon using Visible Spectroscopy and Predictive Modelling across 4 Soil Zones in the Saskatchewan Prairies
E. Muchowski, C. Chizen
Evaluating Drought Resilience in Alfalfa Cultivars Through Multi-Year Field Trials
T. Peterson, J.A. Feurtado, B. Biligetu
Growth Stage-Specific Canopy Dynamic and Yield Potential in Field Pea Leaf types
A. Stanley, T. Warkentin & R. Bueckert
Demonstration of Winter Wheat, Winter Triticale, and Fall Rye Across Saskatchewan Under Optimal and Delayed Seeding Dates
A. Thorlakson, Z. Galbraith & R. Lokken
Development of Open-Source app for in-season Yield Forecasts across Western Canada
S. van Steenbergen, K. Nketia, T. Ha & S. Shirtliffe
Resolving the potassium puzzle using Plant Root Simulator (PRS) Technology
B. Weiseth and E. Hammermeister